Mission To Seamen In Sri Lanka

International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF)

ITF House, 49-60, Borough Road, London SE11DR, United Kingdom
Tel :   0044 207 403 2733
Fax :   0044 207 357 7871
Email :   mail@itf.org.uk
Web :   www.itfglobal.org

The ITF Seafarers’ Trust
Need Help ?
Whatever the problem
Freephone

+ 800 seafarer
+ 800 73232737
Or
+ 44 207 323 2737

And we will call you back immediately

Since its launch at the end of 2001, the international Seafarers’ Assistance Network’s (ISAN) Seafarer Help Service has seen a steady rise in the number of Seafarers using the service . Nearly 3,500 Seafarers have called the helpline and some 30,000 visitors have used the website to search for information or seek support. The website is now available in Chinese and other languages will come on line soon.The toll-free access is expanding all the time and is currently available from 41 countries, with the latest addition being India. Negotiations are underway to extend the service to the Philippines, China, Russia and Brazil and it is hoped that these will be on line by the middle of 2005. Calls can be about anything and the service is available to all seafarers and their families 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

www.seafarerhelp.org

INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT WORKERS’ FEDERATION (ITF)

Message to Seafarers’ is updated regularly on the ITF website.
Log on today for this and other information at
www.itfglobal.org

SEAFARERS’ BULLETIN

The ITF produce the Seafarers’ Bulletin, a magazine for seafarers, once a year. It gives news about seafarers’ rights, working terms and conditions, developments in the world’s shipping industry, and ITF Flags of Convenience campaign. It is available in English, Chinese, Spanish, German, Polish, Indonesian, Japanese, Russian, Tagalog, Arabic and Turkish. Get your copy free from ITF Inspectors, Seafarers’ Trade Union Offices, Mission to Seamen etc.

A MESSAGE TO SEAFARERS ON FLAG OF CONVENIENCE SHIPS

Dear Seafarer,

            In today’s shipping market, many costs are outside a shipowner’s control. But one area – crew cost – has become the main source of competition between shipowners. Savage cost cutting often means low wages, inadequate, manning, excessive hours, bad shipboard conditions, and serious exploitation of seafarers of many different nationalities.

            The ITF comes across thousands of seafarers each year who have been abandoned in ports far away from home without pay, cheated and abused. This is unacceptable.

            As thousands of shipowners know to their cost, the ITF through its affiliated seafarers’ and dockers’ trade unions, has been waging a campaign against flags of convenience for more than 50 years. The aims of the FOC campaign are:

The elimination of the FOC system and the establishment of a regulatory framework for the shipping industry based on the concept of a “genuine link” between the flag a ship flies and the place where it is beneficially owned and controlled;
To attack sub-standard shipping and seek ITF acceptable standards on all ships irrespective of flag, using all the political, industrial and legal means at the ITF’s disposal;
To protect and enhance the conditions of employment of maritime workers and to ensure that all maritime workers regardless of colour, nationality, Sex, race or creed are protected from exploitation by their employers and those acting on their behalf; and
To individually strengthen affiliated unions, in all organizational aspects, so as to ensure the provision and delivery of a greater degree of solidarity in waging the campaign.

The ITF is here to help you. Help us to help you by having the following information available when contacting the ITF or leaving a message on an ITF inspector’s voice mail/answer machine.

Have the name of the ship (IMO Number if known), flag and its whereabouts i.e. name of the port and number of pier
Next port of call in the event that the inspector is unavailable when the ship arrives
Your complint (e.g. if you have not received your wages)
The number of crew on board

          And, whenever possible. Try and contact the ITF before the ship arrives in the port. This will enable the ITF inspectors to be more prepared to deal with your case.

          A guide to the phonetic alphabet is written below. This will be useful when contacting the ITF with details of names which are awkward or difficult to pronounce.

Alpha       Golf          Mike           Sierra       Yankee
Bravo     Hotel        November   Tango       Zulu
Charlie India        Oscar          Uniform
Delta    Juliet     Papa           Victor
Echo         Kilo         Quebec       Whisky
Foxtrot     Lima         Romeo        X-ray